


Just Need Some Space

by FullyWorkingLegs



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Anxiety, Attempt at Humor, Brotherly Tails, Communication, F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Light Angst, Male-Female Friendship, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Sonic isn't great at feelings but does his best, Temporarily Unrequited Love, amy has some self-doubt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25646587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullyWorkingLegs/pseuds/FullyWorkingLegs
Summary: Sonic has decided that he needs to talk to Amy. He needs his space, after all, just like everyone does. Besides, he didn't want someone throwing themselves in front of danger without thinking of their own safety.Once he gets his supposed freedom though, Amy starts acting... different. Sonic is unsure how to feel about this, and struggles with unfamiliar feelings for his favorite female hedgehog.
Relationships: Amy Rose & Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose/Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna & Rouge the Bat, Knuckles the Echidna/Rouge the Bat, Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 51





	1. The Problem

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at proper fanfiction, please provide feedback if possible.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic and Amy have a discussion about personal space and friendship. All things considered, Amy takes it pretty well.

Sonic was in his home, alternating between pacing and sprinting around his house, in an attempt to either collect his thoughts or run from them. At this point, he wasn’t sure which anymore, only feeling anxiety course through him. Anxiety caused by the coming conversation he set himself up for. One between him and one of his closest _friends_ , Amy Rose. 

Sonic and Amy were _friends_ , first and foremost, he thought to himself as he ran. 

This was the mantra Sonic had settled on when he had decided they needed to talk. It made him uncomfortable, sure, but he didn’t want anything to come between their friendship. She was important to him, so he needed to tell her this. They needed to talk it over like reasonable people; he shouldn’t dance around the subject like he’d been doing for so long. 

He knew about her feelings for him, as most did. While he didn’t necessarily mind them, he _did_ mind her being so determined with them, always following him, declaring her love for him. It made him feel incredibly awkward whenever he was around her, and he wanted her to...tone it down a bit. 

He’d talked to Tails, Knuckles, hell, even _Shadow_ of all creatures - who surprisingly gave good advice on occasion. In each conversation, they’d all told Sonic the same thing - _talk to her_

Sure it seemed like a good idea, communicating with someone is the best way of solving a problem, after all. But when the problem has been around for so long? How would she take it? Would she be sad? Confused? Angry?

He didn’t want her to think he’d been leading her on - he wasn’t like that. It was just such an awkward conversation that he’d been avoiding it for fear of how she’d take it.

Sonic began to feel nervous, looking at the clock and suddenly realizing he only had a few minutes left before she showed up. He stopped running and tried to breathe deeply and calmly, internally formulating a speech about friendship and trying to make sure he didn’t phrase something incorrectly - he didn’t want a hammer to the face to be the result of this conversation, it was already hard enough. Okay, he was probably exaggerating, but _still_. 

“Don’t strain yourself,” Sonic heard, turning in surprise and quickly-melted fear towards not Amy, but instead a certain yellow fox, smiling at him jokingly. 

Sonic’s posture relaxed, and he smiled slightly as he replied.

“Oh _haha_. Laugh it up buddy, but when you have girl troubles, don’t come crying to this hedgehog,” he smirked, pointing towards himself.

“You aren’t my first choice of hedgehogs anyways, believe me; I plan to ask Shadow for romantic advice before I ask you,” his companion joked.

“Hey now don’t be mean, you’d be emotionally constipated too if you were frozen for fifty years. And he still gives helpful advice now and then.”

“True,” Tails began, before changing his expression to a more serious one “but seriously Sonic, you and Amy aren’t kids anymore, you can’t just forget about this or sweep it under the rug. You guys need to talk about this like reasonable adults, or this _will_ keep bothering you.”

“I know, I know. Hey, when did my little bro get so smart, huh?” Sonic asked, pride filling him as he smiled at the kit.

“Probably after he built his first plane,” the fox quipped back.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You should probably go before she gets here,” he shooed the fox with his hand. “I don’t need things to be more awkward than they already will be.”

“Alright alright, I’ll leave you to your drama,” Tails smirked as he turned away, missing the eye roll his friend supplied as he walked to his workshop.

Sonic took another deep breath, before hearing a familiar doorbell. He attempted to steel his resolve and quickly opened the door, in order to avoid his instincts to run away. 

“Hey Amy”

* * *

“SONIC!” the pink hedgehog squealed, before pulling him into a familiar (and very tight) embrace. 

Sonic struggled in her hold. Pressing his arms to her shoulders, he asked her to stop.

“Amy I-I can’t breathe,” he choked out, before Amy pulled away and beamed at him. 

“Sorry!” She blushed, turning away slightly. “It’s been so long and I was just so excited to see you!”

“We talked yesterday,” Sonic deadpanned, a small smile present despite his nervousness towards the looming conversation. 

“Well it felt like forever!”

“Right, I-Well,” the blue hedgehog sighed. “Look Amy, we really need to talk,” Sonic began, hesitating slightly.

Amy looked at him, confused what had her usually happy and relaxed crush so serious and...nervous? 

_Is he finally going to admit his feelings?_ she wondered, hoping with all her heart that her fantasies were really coming true. Confusion on her face turning to happiness as she smiled at him. She could feel her heart beating faster in anticipation.

  
“I’m listening,” her face grew hopeful at the ideas circling her mind, of them finally being together and happy, as she had wanted for so long. 

“We’ve been friends for a long time Amy, but I-well sometimes…” he trailed off, putting his hand to the back of his quills and turning away from the girl in front of him.

“Sometimes…?” Amy prompted him, praying that he would say that he wanted them to be _more_ than friends, closer. That she could finally have him as hers, holding him and caring for him like she’d always dreamed.

“Sometimes I need more space,” he began, turning back to see the smile on the pink hedgehog’s face droop, as her entire demeanor quickly became far less cheery than normal.

Sonic pushed on regardless.

“I still want to be friends!” he added quickly, waving his hands frantically in front of her. “It’s just that I...I like being on my own sometimes Amy, and I feel uncomfortable with how you sometimes just...follow me around a lot.”

_Annoying. Clingy. Desperate._

She’d heard it before. She wasn’t _blind_ after all, and people could be very vocal about their disapproval of Amy’s behavior towards the blue hedgehog. However, she’d assumed they were all full of it. Sonic loved her as much as she loved him, he was just shy when it came to romance, right? 

_Unless_

Unless they were all right. The reporters, the tabloids, the internet. She’d thought that maybe others just didn’t understand their dynamic, but if Sonic himself was having to talk with her about it, maybe she had gone a bit...overboard. Maybe she had gone so overboard that he didn’t even want to be friends with her anymore. Maybe he never even thought of her as his friend. Maybe-

“Amy?” Sonic questioned, looking as the hedgehog in front of him had their eyes widen. He looked worried for her, as Amy simply stood there, lost in her own mind and beginning to panic. 

_What if he’s hated me all this time, and he didn’t say anything because he’s too nice?_ Emotions overwhelmed the pink hedgehog. She felt sick as she continued to think of worse and worse scenarios, all caused by _her_ own actions. 

“Oh Sonic I’m so sorry!” she burst out, looking like she was about to cry, she reached up with her gloves to cover her eyes. The action making Sonic freeze in place, not knowing what to do. 

He only hesitated for a second, before quickly leaping into action.

“Hey,” he gently took her hands and lowered them from her face, noticing and wiping her tears before pulling her into a hug and continuing softly. “It’s okay Amy. It’s not a big deal, I promise. You didn’t know it made me so uncomfortable, and I never really told you.”

“I should’ve known,” Amy mumbled.

“You _couldn’t_ have,” Sonic pulled her away, keeping his hands on her shoulders as he sternly looked directly at her saddened eyes, threatening to spill tears again at a moment’s notice. His gaze softened. “It takes two people to maintain any positive relationship, Amy. This is _at least_ as much my fault as it is yours. I’m not mad at you for this, and I promise I won't hold it against you.” 

_He still doesn’t want to be friends with you_ , a sneering voice in her head spoke. _After all, who would want to be friends with an annoying, quick-tempered,_ useless _hedgehog like you?_

_Then I'll just have to work harder!_ She thought to herself. _If I become a better person - a_ stronger _person - and stop clinging to him so hard, maybe he’ll finally realize he_ does _truly love me._

_Oh yes, because trying_ harder _to gain his affections worked has out_ so _well, hasn’t it?_ The self-doubt in her mocked _. Just give up already,_ the voice demanded _. You have to move on eventually, unless you want to remain a clingy fangirl forever._

The pink hedgehog did her best to ignore her negative thoughts, looking back at the blue blur in front of her with newfound determination.

“Either way,” she began, “I want to do better Sonic. I promise you I’ll do my best to give you your space, and not...chase you so much.”

Sonic smiled slightly at her, and she couldn’t help the way it still caused her to relax. Whenever he was with her, she remembered how much she loved him.

“Thanks Ames.” Sonic pulled her back into yet another hug, this one more gentle than before, making Amy’s heart beat frantically as he held her. Warmth overtook her as she hugged him back, taking care not to hurt him like she had before.

_Not like it matters, a single hug doesn't undo all the annoyance you’ve put him through._

She pulled away slightly at the idea, in fear that if she held too long she would be annoying him again.

“Well, I should probably get going,” Amy spoke after leaving the hug. “Leave you to your -”

“ _Sonic!_ ” A voice shouted in the house, followed soon by it’s two-tailed owner. “Eggman’s attacking again! Station Square is overrun with robots, and the news said a lot of people were getting hurt!”

Sonic’s expression hardened slightly as he turned to the fox. “ _Shit._ Alright, let’s go quick before he can do much damage.”

He turned back to Amy, an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry, Amy. We have to go take care of this.”

Before he and the fox could take off though, she spoke up.

“I’m coming with,” she said, as though it was the simplest thing in the world, quickly summoning her hammer in her hands. “Eggman should know better than to mess with my home,” she smirked, with fire in her eyes. 

Sonic and Tails looked momentarily surprised, before remembering how _strong_ the girl could get when she was angry. 

Sonic recovered from his shock quickly. “Alright then,” he smirked. “Let’s go teach that Egghead a lesson!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #LetSonicSayShit
> 
> Edit 8/8/2020
> 
> Sonic and Tails are brothers, don't @ me
> 
> Edit 8/22/2020
> 
> Made some edits so POV is more consistent.


	2. The Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic, Amy, and Tails arrive at Station Square, and must deal with a newer model of Eggman's robots. These new robots look dangerous, but everything breaks if you hit it hard enough, right?

The wind rushed through the blue hedgehog’s quills as he ran, the feeling relaxing him slightly as he rushed towards the chaos occurring miles away. Thoughts of being too late circled in his mind, of others suffering because he wasn’t fast enough. Said thoughts were interrupted by him looking back, seeing a familiar pink blur, surprisingly not far behind, as well as a yellow blur a bit farther back. 

_We’ll make it,_ he thought with determination, attempting to squash down any doubts he had. _We always make it in time._

A grin overtook his face, as he began to push himself to run faster, letting confidence fill him instead of fear. They could easily make it in time with him there, he was the fastest thing alive, after all.

As the blue blur sped up, his friends did as well. The pink hedgehog in particular had their face grow more determined as they ran, thinking to themselves as their pace quickened to keep up with their blue friend.

Thoughts in her mind jumbled, mixed between fear, sadness, and anger. Her previous discussion with Sonic being the reason for many of these harmful emotions.

_I still want to be friends,_ he had said, and she did her best to believe it despite the negative thoughts in her mind. Still, she thought back to all the times she had hugged him for too long, hugged him too tight, chased him despite him actively running away. 

_I've been a bad friend,_ she thought to herself, miserably. _I should have noticed his discomfort sooner, instead of trying to cling to a fantasy that would never come true._

Because that’s what it had been, hadn’t it? Just a fantasy of what could be, but what would never truly happen. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t _make_ Sonic love her back, and the thought hurt more than anything she had ever experienced, more than anything she thought she _could_ ever experience. But he had said it himself - he wanted them to be _friends_ , and that was all. 

_Maybe it’s time to move on._

All these feelings have done is cause pain, to both her and him. Hell, now that she thought about it, even her closest friends had tried to get her to tone down her affections for the blue blur in front of her. She had probably made all of them uncomfortable too, and the thought filled her with a sickening feeling.

_If I want to stay friends with them, I probably need to stop feeling this way toward him. I won’t feel tempted to chase him if I move on,_ she thought sadly, unsure if it was even possible to prevent herself from feeling affection for her crush of so many years. 

_But I have to try. I have to at least_ try _to make these feelings go away, unless I want him to avoid me, and risk losing our friendship after so long. He said it wasn’t a big deal, but I know I made him uncomfortable. If I can find a way to stop loving him this way, then I should, to avoid damaging our friendship._

_I’ll do whatever it takes. I just want him to be happy._

With that, she returned her focus towards running, trying to think only about the many people that needed saving, letting those thoughts power her run, making her as fast as her legs would allow. 

Tails tried to keep up with the two hedgehogs, namesakes twirling faster as the three ran towards the chaotic city.

Soon enough, the trio reached their destination. 

Station Square was a beautiful city, bustling with millions of people, with buildings as tall as the sky. Casinos, amusement parks, and fancy restaurants making it a popular tourist spot enjoyed by many. At least, when it wasn’t under attack by a certain egg-shaped villain, an army of robots, or whatever else decided to cause havoc in the otherwise peaceful city. 

Doctor Robotnik - often referred to as Eggman - frequently attempted to rule over Station Square, to the annoyance of it’s many citizens, and a certain blue hedgehog who always thwarted Eggman’s schemes. His lack of success in conquering the city never seemed to deter him, as he often returned months or even weeks later to try again. These attacks seemed more and more careless, causing more destruction each time, with complete disregard for harming those that were caught in the crossfire. Thankfully, few were ever injured in these attacks, but Sonic often questioned how long that streak would go on if Eggman continued to get more and more reckless. 

That was what had Sonic so concerned about this attack in particular, Tails had said that many were injured according to news reports. Approaching the scene made him slightly unsure, despite him masking it behind a grin, in an attempt to make himself less nervous in the coming battle. 

Hundreds of robots were destroying the city, smashing windows, destroying property, and attacking any civilians that did not immediately run in fear. Sonic quickly noticed Eggman in the center of the commotion, back turned and surrounded by a dozen or so of newer-looking robots. These robots looked more intimidating than the ones he was used to - which were the ones currently causing all of the destruction, while the newer models simply stood by Eggman. 

The newer robots were red and black, with spikes coming out of their bodies sporadically, seemingly there only to prevent Sonic from delivering a standard spin-dash - he might get sliced. They were about his size too, far shorter than the standard Eggman robots, but seemingly more dangerous. Sonic, however, was undeterred by the newer looking models.

_Ah well,_ he thought, _they all break the same anyway!_

“Yo Eggbreath!” Sonic yelled, stopping a bit before the scene, with Amy and Tails also stopping only a few feet behind. 

“ _Sonic_ ,” Eggman turned his Eggmobile, giving Sonic a dangerous look. “This fight will be our last. Robots! Attack!”.

_What, no speech about world domination? No insults or talk about how smart he is? What’s he up to this time?_

Sonic’s attention quickly focused back on the new robots, who had launched themselves at the blue blur, far quicker than normal, but not quick enough. Sonic dodged and ran past them, towards a wall which he immediately leapt at and pushed himself from, launching himself at high speeds towards one of the robots, carefully avoiding its spikes with his leg and kicking it into another nearby wall. The robot fell forward onto the ground, but slowly got back up, undefeated and undeterred. Again advancing towards Sonic and his friends.

_These robots must be made of sterner stuff,_ Sonic thought. _I have to make sure I don’t waste too much energy on one of them, since there are so many._

Distracted, Sonic failed to notice robots advancing from one of his sides. One approached, fist raised and ready to strike the unsuspecting hedgehog. 

It was quickly met with a hammer to the middle of its plating, flinging it into a group of other robots several feet away, it’s sharp points slicing through the other robots. It fell to the ground after the collision, but got up only seconds later, despite the large dent in its center. Even the robots it had hit seemed undisturbed, getting back up and continuing their advance towards the group of heroes.

“Sonic,” the hammer wielder spoke relatively calmly, despite the commotion. She took her place behind him, facing the other direction as the robots surrounded them. “What’s the plan? These robots seem tougher than most, and there are still others around causing a mess. What do you think we should do?”

A plan quickly formed in the blue hedgehog’s mind, and he responded to his pink comrade. 

“You and I fight these robots, since they seem like the bigger threat here. I’ll have Tails go and try to stop the ones destroying the city. Once we finish ours we’ll help him finish off whatever’s left”.

“Got it.”

“Tails!” Sonic yelled to his flying friend as he dodged another attack, “Go focus on the other robots! Amy and I’ll take care of these!” 

“Got it!” the fox responded, flying out of Sonic’s view. The blue hedgehog counterattacked, swiping the robot’s feet and kicking it away. He was simply trying to keep it at bay; he knew there were too many of them for him to single one out for long. If either of them focused on one robot, another could surprise them, and they couldn’t take that risk. These new bots were fast, and Sonic feared the damage they could do if one of them managed to get a hit on either of them. 

The fight continued like this for several gruelling minutes, with both Amy and Sonic dodging and striking whenever possible, knocking the robots over, only for them to get up seconds later, more often than not. Only half of the specialized robots remained, but both hedgehogs were beginning to feel the exhaustion of the fight creep up. 

Feeling frustrated, Amy’s attacks increased in frequency, beginning to slam her hammer down on her enemies multiple times in quick succession, giving them no time to get back up. Many of the robots began to sustain damage from this, if not being fully destroyed by the time the pink hedgehog had to switch targets. 

Sonic also redoubled his efforts, ping-ponging off of the walls at high speeds, crashing into several robots with carefully-planted kicks. Finally, he flew towards one target and, upon seeing an opening for an attack, spin-dashed through it completely; barely avoiding the sharp points of the robots, he escaped without damage. 

Soon enough, no more robots remained, only scattered parts, two exhausted hedgehogs, and one crazed - and very angry scientist. 

Said scientist immediately slammed his fist on his flying machine as the last of his newest model of robots was destroyed by a decisive hammer strike. 

“Damn it,” he muttered angrily. _That pink one was more trouble than I thought. I would’ve had Sonic if only she and that fox hadn’t interfered!_ “You got lucky this time Sonic, but next ti-”

“Yeah Eggman, we get it. I won’t be so lucky, yadda yadda. Just go,” the hedgehog interrupted, shooing the villain off with a hand. 

The doctor screamed in anger at being interrupted, then quickly retreated, his entire face red from rage at his rival. _How dare he disrespect me like that? I am an evil genius! You’ll regret this Sonic. I swear it._

* * *

“Alright Amy,” Sonic turned, seeing his friend just as tired as he was. It made him feel guilty for what he was about to say. “We should probably go help Tails.” The girl nodded, and the two hedgehogs readied themselves to sprint again, to ignore all exhaustion in efforts of saving the city. 

“Sonic, Amy!” Tails flew in, as if on cue. “Woah, you guys look awful.”

“Gee thanks,” Amy responded sarcastically, a dry look on her face.

“No problem,” Tails said with a smirk, before turning back to his brother. “Anyways, those robots are all taken care of, so it looks like our work is done.”

“You took out all of them by yourself? Tails there were like, hundreds of those bots!” Sonic exclaimed, flailing his arms in the air. Honestly, he was unsure if he should be impressed or scared of his brother’s ability. 

“Oh no, I didn’t do it alone. Rouge, Shadow and Omega showed up to help me. They took off after we defeated all those robots, and I came here as fast as I could. Looks like you guys handled everything on your end though, so it all worked out, yeah?” The kit grinned at his hedgehog brother with satisfaction, despite looking just as tired as the two hedgehogs.

“Yeah, guess so little buddy,” Sonic responded, ruffling the kit’s bangs with his hand, quickly stifling a yawn with the other. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m gonna go take a nap.”

Tails and Amy rolled their eyes, before the latter of the two responded.

“What else is new?” the pink hedgehog spoke with a smile, albeit less cheerfully than usual. “Alright, I’m gonna go home. You two take care,” she waved goodbye to them, turning and walking to her home. 

“Wow,” Tails spoke softly, surprised. “She must be really tired if she didn’t want to give you a hug goodbye, huh Sonic?” he remarked jokingly, once the pink hedgehog was out of hearing range.

“Nah,” Sonic spoke tiredly. “We already had our conversation before you brought us here to fight Eggman, so hopefully she'll give me some space from now on.” 

“Really? That’s great Sonic!” the fox responded, a happy smile on his face. “Now everything can go back to normal between you guys!”

“Yeah,” Sonic spoke, softly.

_I wonder what normal even feels like_ , he pondered to himself jokingly. _Either way, I can't wait to enjoy my freedom - and a nap_.

“Alright bro, let’s head back,” Sonic stated, a small smile on his face as he slowly walked away from the city, back to his welcoming home and bed. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amy is a strong independent hedgehog girl, and I wish SEGA wrote her that way more often, honestly.
> 
> Edited on 8/8/2020
> 
> First time I wrote combat, let me know how it goes
> 
> Edited on 8/22/2020
> 
> Made some minor edits


	3. The Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several days after Eggman's attack, Sonic is bored out of his mind. It's raining, so he can't go for a run like usual. What's a hedgehog to do?

It had been ten days since Eggman’s attack. Ten days since Sonic had talked with Amy - talked to anybody besides his twin-tailed brother, now that he thought about it. It was only ten days, yet to Sonic it was beginning to feel like  _ years _ . Without an Eggman attack to distract him, Sonic often felt as though life simply crept on, no excitement or thrills made life so unbearably  _ boring _ . Video games helped, sure, but he could only play the same five games so many times before the boredom would come creeping back in. 

There was nothing good on television either, he had decided after flipping through the channels yet again, only to find the same programs.  _ Ugh, it’s always the same crap _ . _ I love hearing about me as much as the next guy, but even I have my limits. _ Mindless cartoons were too boring, reality shows too unrealistic, news always repetitive,  _ or about himself _ . He tossed the remote to the other side of the couch, sinking further into it, it was pretty comfy after all…  _ No! _ He jolted upright, onto his feet.  _ All this sitting around is starting to drive me crazy. _ He desperately wanted to go running, but the downpour outside seemed to have other plans, mocking him with a constant thud against his windows. 

_ Guess I’ll see what Tails is up to. Beats watching TV I guess. _

He strolled into his adoptive brother's workshop, seeing him hunched over a group of wires and a remote of some kind. He was tempted to yell. Startling the kit was amusing sometimes of course, but he’d learned his lesson after the third small explosion (and following rant) that had occurred. 

“Hey Tails,” Sonic greeted casually.

“Hey Sonic,” Tails muttered, not looking up, his razor-focus on the device in front of him as he put out his hand to his hedgehog friend. “Can you hand me a screwdriver real quick?”

Sonic rolled his eyes, but complied anyway, grabbing the tool he had retrieved dozens of times before. “Whatcha working on buddy?” He handed it to the fox, who snatched it quickly before tightening four screws on the back of the remote. 

“Just finished actually,” Tails presented the device with pride. “This should make finding the Chaos Emeralds a breeze! It’s more accurate than any of the ones I’ve made before, so theoretically, our jobs just got a lot easier.” 

“That’s great and all Tails, but I thought we already have all of them. Did Egghead steal one?” Sonic responded, confused. 

The Emeralds had been split up for safekeeping months ago. Team Dark had two, with Shadow keeping one for himself, Omega using one for power, and Rouge envious of her two teammates. Knuckles had also agreed to guard two along with the Master Emerald, since Angel Island was hardly ever visited (aside from a certain aforementioned bat who enjoyed tormenting the red echidna). GUN had another two under maximum security; not even Sonic knew where they were. That left the last one...somewhere in Sonic’s room.

Tails rolled his eyes. “No,” he replied, glaring at the hedgehog. “But searching through your room for ours is more dangerous than going into one of Eggman’s bases. Seriously, that place is a health hazard,” he waved a hand in front of his nose. “Besides, we’ll need this when they split up again; we can’t always just hope we get them before Eggman does.” 

“Fair point,” Sonic agreed, leading to silence. He began to tap his foot impatiently. “So,” he dragged out word, causing his brother to sigh.

“Let me guess, you’re bored again,” the fox crossed his arms, clearly used to his brother’s commonly occurring problem. 

“A little,” the hedgehog rubbed his quills, feeling guilty for being called out. “Wanna do something? Watch a movie? Play games?”

The fox seemed to consider this, before unfurling his arms and turning back to his workbench. “Sorry Sonic, but I really wanna work on some other stuff right now, can’t you just watch some TV or something? 

Sonic scoffed. “I’d rather not. Come on buddy, just one game?” the hedgehog pleaded as he clasped his hands together.

Tails sighed again, looking back at Sonic with mild irritation. “Not now, maybe later.”

Sonic groaned, dramatically flinging his arms upward before walking towards the door. “Fine. If you need me, I’ll be in the living room.” He slumped as he walked back towards the couch in the center of the room. Collapsing upon it immediately, he rested his legs on the table in front of it, before dragging his phone out of his quills in resignation. He debated texting someone, but who was actually available?

_ Definitely not Tails _ , he thought, smirking to himself.  _ Knuckles? Nah, I don’t think he has a phone, and I don’t have his number if he does. _ Sonic frowned.  _ Rouge told me she and Shadow were going on a mission yesterday, could they be back already? _ He doubted it, the team usually was gone for days if not weeks on end, regrettably. He enjoyed teasing the bat and his rival mercilessly. The two always were good at banter, and Sonic enjoyed the verbal sparring that would ensue when he joked with them. If they were on a mission though, there was no point in texting either of the two. His frown deepened. _ That only leaves...Amy. _

He felt conflicted, as he often did when he thought of his pink friend. _ I haven’t really chatted with her since our “talk”. Could she be mad at me? I mean, she seemed fine at the time, but... _ The blue blur shook his head.  _ Ah well, probably better to do it now _ , he thought.  _ Get it over with and all that jazz. _ He quickly sent a text. 

_ Hey Ames, how’s life goin? Bored outta my mind rn _

* * *

Amy was in her apartment, watching television when she heard her phone buzz beside her. She immediately grabbed it, and she couldn’t help the smile that rose to her face as she saw the message from her longtime crush. 

Normally, she’d respond right away. She enjoyed talking to Sonic in any form, and whenever he texted her, she would feel excitement and joy in being able to talk to him. He was a good listener, always letting her vent about whatever was bothering her. In turn, he would let out whatever he was thinking or feeling freely, and she enjoyed how open she could be around him. Now though, she was hesitant. How could she respond, while also making sure to respect his wishes? She wasn’t sure. She didn’t want to accidentally make the same mistakes as before.

_ Maybe I shouldn’t respond. _

She quickly shook her head to rid herself of the idea. That would be far too rude. Besides, if he was going out of his way to talk to her, then she should be fine to respond, right? He had said they would still be friends, and friends talked all the time. Still though, he also mentioned her clinginess, and he might’ve been referring to more than just tight hugs and chasing him. He probably wanted her to move on, and she should try to respect that.

_ I need to get over him, and the best way to do that is to try to meet someone else. Someone who appreciates me for who I am. Someone who is heroic, kind, and caring.  _

Immediately, thoughts of the blue hedgehog returned to her, to the girl’s frustration _. _

_ Ugh, this is going to be harder than I thought. _

* * *

Sonic was almost starting to feel concerned. Amy usually responded to his messages right away. Granted it had only been a few minutes, but the pinkette always had responded near-immediately whenever he had texted her in the past. Her lack of response was unusual, even if normal for most other people. Thinking about it only made him feel weird. 

He’d asked her to tone it down a bit, but he didn’t want her to change who she was, he’d only wanted her to not be too reliant on him, perhaps even finally get over him. It was for her own good. He just didn’t feel the same way towards her was all. Besides, his life was dangerous, and he didn’t want her affection for him to blind her from the possibility of her getting hurt.

Now that he thought about it though, that didn’t seem to be much of a problem anymore, given her recent help against Eggman, and the numerous fights beforehand with her involvement. Still, he didn’t feel that way about her, and her moving on would be the best course of action, he decided as he sat on the couch waiting for a response.

He soon got a response in the form of his hand vibrating. Eyes flashing down to his device, he read the message on screen. 

_ I’m good. How are you, aside from bored? _

_ Well that’s odd _ . He furrowed his brow as he stared at the device in his hands. Usually, Amy responded as energetically as possible, using frequent exclamation points, emoticons, and whatever else she could to display excitement. Now that she wasn’t doing so, Sonic felt whiplash from an otherwise completely normal statement. Internally shrugging, he texted back.

_ Good I guess. Tails made something to find the chaos emeralds, so hopefully they aren’t as much of a pain to track down anymore.  _

He waited only a few moments before he got his response.

_ That’s nice : ) _

These responses were so unlike the girl, and it made Sonic exasperated. This conversation wasn’t  _ normal _ ; it wasn’t  _ right _ . Amy wasn’t usually like this, so calm and unenergetic. The blue hedgehog sighed, he was probably reading into this too much. She could just be tired or something, he thought as he picked up the conversation. 

_ Yeah, what’ve you been up to? Anything you wanna chat about? _

_ There, that should work _ , the hero smirked, satisfied at his message. Now she could respond and explain why she was acting so strange; he had basically given her an invitation to do so.

_ Not much, although I did want to ask you something. _

_ Go ahead _ , he replied, happy to steer the conversation any direction that would lead to some sense of normalcy. 

_ Well I’ve been thinking, and I feel like I should put myself out there more. I’m debating between using a dating app and just going out and meeting people. What do you think? _

Sonic’s stomach felt strange as he read the words. Everything about this conversation felt wrong to him, in some way or another. She was asking  _ him  _ about dating advice?  _ Him _ , who had only ever run away from his problems, and never dated anyone in his entire life? But, she had asked him for advice, and as his friend, he felt he had to respond as best he could. Anything less would be a disservice to her and their friendship. Besides, he had wanted her to move on, and this was her doing exactly that. 

Why then, did it feel different to him, almost wrong?

_ I honestly don’t know. I’ve never done the whole dating thing before. Whatever makes you feel more comfortable is probably a good call. Rouge might be able to give better advice on this tbh. Just make sure whoever you end up with treats you right. Otherwise, give ‘em the hammer for me ; ) _

It felt weird, giving dating advice to a girl who had always proclaimed he was the right one for her, but it also felt like the right thing to do. She deserved to be happy after all, and she needed someone who appreciated her for who she was, an energetic girl who was insanely strong and passionate. Sonic smiled to himself, only to regain focus on the conversation as his phone vibrated once again.

_ Aww, thanks Sonic <3 I’ll probably ask Rouge when she gets back then. I have to go to bed now though, so goodnight! : ) _

_ Goodnight : ) _

Sonic smirked again after he sent his reply, glad that he was able to help his friend, and that she seemed to be somewhat back to her usual self after their conversation. It was short, but still emotionally tiring for the blue hedgehog. He yawned as he put away his phone, stretching on the couch before standing up, heading towards his room for a much needed sleep. 

* * *

_ Arms curled around the hero as he lay on his couch, peacefully resting after a long day of heroics. The blue hedgehog relaxed into the embrace, enjoying the tranquility. He gently opened his eyes, observing the pink girl who held him. She smelled fruity, as she often did when they were close. _

_ “Hey Amy,” he muttered, staring at the hedgehog before him. Seeing her smiling made him feel relaxed, and he decided to just enjoy it. He felt comfortable here, just lying down next to the girl, with no worries in his mind. _

_ The pink heroine giggled and held on to Sonic tighter, but not in a way that was unenjoyable to the blue hero, to his own surprise. He wrapped his arms around her tightly as well, pulling her closer, enjoying her warmth, her smell, but most of all her presence. Whenever she wasn’t chasing him, and they were simply together, the blue hedgehog felt comfortable and safe. Holding each other like this was an unfamiliar situation to the blue hero, but he felt himself enjoying it regardless. _

_ “Sonic,” the pink girl whispered softly. “I have something important to tell you.” She pulled away, showing her soft green eyes as she looked at him passionately. Leaning closer to him, their lips so close he could feel her breath against his face. _

_ “Yeah?” Sonic breathed, unsure, yet unable to deny the warmth he felt in his chest in anticipation of the girl’s actions. He swallowed, trying to calm down, but she was so close to him. _

_ “I’m dating Shadow.” _

_ What?  _

“HUH?”

* * *

Sonic yelped as he jolted upright in his bed, heart thudding quickly in his chest. He reached up to feel it, eyes widened in fear and shock. Moonlight crept in from the hero’s window, confirming that it had only been a dream. He felt his face flush hot with embarrassment. Questions grew in the hedgehog’s mind as he felt his heartbeat through his chest and glove. 

_ What the heck was that? I’ve never had a dream like that before. _

He tried to think about  _ why  _ he would have a dream like that, and latched onto the first logical reason he could.

_ It must just be because I was talking to Amy about dating, right? I mean, that would explain the part about her dating Shadow… _

That still didn't explain why they were so close in his dream though, to the blue hedgehog’s frustration. He’d never been that close with anyone, really, and  _ never  _ had he enjoyed being near someone as he did in that dream… 

The blue hedgehog’s face grew warmer at the memory, his reddening face quickly being covered by his hand as it removed itself from his chest. He attempted to breathe slowly, and calm his mind from his panic.

_ I just made a connection between dating and Amy,  _ that’s all _. _

_ It’s not like I like her. Well, at least not like that. Otherwise, I woulda been fine with her pursuing me, instead of pushing her away, duh. _

Satisfied with this conclusion, Sonic flopped back down into his bed, getting comfortable as he prepared to return to slumber, hoping he did not have any more strange dreams about his pink friend. 

Needless to say, he did not get much sleep that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Amy actually start dating? Will Sonic have more strange dreams? Why am I asking you all these questions? Who knows?


	4. The Denial and Discussion (Sonic)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic has a talk with (most of) Team Dark. Rouge feels like he's hiding something.

Wind flowed through his quills as he ran, and a smile grew on Sonic’s face all the while. The storm had lasted several days - to the dismay of the blue hedgehog - but it had finally passed. No longer was he forced to sit at home, watching television, playing games, or sleeping - which was how he had spent most of the time he had been confined in his home, unable to feel free as he so loved to do. Finally, he was free, free to run, to feel the wind rush by him as he blew past trees, grass, and small animals in the forest. It was here that he ran through whenever he wanted to truly feel happy. Leaping over tree roots, feeling the ground beneath his feet, the hero was at peace once more. 

Except…

While running was enjoyable to the blue blur, it could only occupy his mind for so long, and his thoughts continued to drift as they often did. As they did, he thought of his many friends: Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, _Amy._

He still had not fully recovered from his dream from a few nights ago. Images of being cuddled up to the pink hedgehog remained in his mind, and he wasn’t sure why it bothered him so much. He figured that after he went back to sleep that night, he would forget about it, but he’d been wrong. Thoughts of him and Amy being together, or of just the girl herself, would not go away, no matter how hard he tried to distract himself. 

_Well, it was the first time I’ve ever had a dream like that. Guess my hormones are getting the better of me, heh._

This was the conclusion the hedgehog had come up with, as it was the most rational way he could describe away why he had enjoyed it, despite being certain he did _not_ have any feelings for his friend. He thought she was great and all, but still that didn’t mean he had romantic feelings for her, right? Just because he thought she looked pretty, enjoyed her company, and admired her upbeat and cheery personality, did _not_ mean he had a crush. He certainly did not have a crush on one of his best friends, because he would know if he did. 

He quickly closed his eyes and shook his head aggressively, trying to rid himself of all the images in his mind; to think of anything else would be far less confusing and frustrating. When he reopened his eyes, Sonic quickly realized it was not a good idea to run at mach speeds through a dense forest, as he dodged around a tree, barely missing crashing.

_Guess I should be more careful,_ the hero thought, shivering at the thought of being hurt by a tree, of all things. That would be extremely embarrassing, not to mention…

_Tails wouldn’t let me hear the end of that, neither would Amy…_

The blue hero groaned internally, trying to reel in his thoughts and think of something else, _anything_ else.

_I wonder what Knuckles is up to?_

The red echidna was still on Angel Island, undoubtedly. Sonic often wondered if his friend got bored or lonely. Sitting up there all the time, alone, was a fate the hedgehog was grateful he did not have to experience.

_Maybe I should ask Tails about making him a phone, in case he gets lonely._

Although, he smiled as he remembered the echidna was not truly alone, as he often heard from a certain bat her journeys to the island to keep his friend company. 

Despite Knuckles alleged distaste for the girl, Sonic had a distinct feeling there was at least a little more to it than that, given how easily flustered he was around her. The two of them bickered like an old married couple, and it always amused the blue hedgehog to observe their arguments over petty disputes. Knuckles face turning as red as his body was always a fascinating sight to the blue blur. 

Speaking of the bat, it was possible she and Shadow were back from their mission, it had been several days after all. 

The idea caused the hero to change course, sprinting towards the location of Club Rouge, where the pair would certainly be if they had returned. The sun was still high in the sky as Sonic arrived at the club, waltzing into the building, which was unlocked as it often was. The two mobians were unafraid of any threats - Omega was the best security system they could ask for. Few would dare enter if they knew of the fearsome robot that lived in the building. If they were smart, that is.

Walking inside, Sonic was unsurprised to find it empty; it was often closed until night. 

“Yo Shadow! Rouge! Anybody home?”

“Don’t you know how to knock, faker?” 

Sonic turned, seeing the black and red hedgehog he was looking for, seeming even more grouchy than usual, and far more tired. Dark rings were under his eyes, making Sonic question what exactly they had encountered in their time away. His rival was simply sitting alone at a booth, with a bag of _… coffee beans?_

“Whatcha got there Shadow?” Sonic asked, ignoring the question. 

The ebony hedgehog reached into the bag, and as he stared directly into his rivals eyes, shoved a large handful of the beans into his mouth. No doubt he did it only to get a reaction out of Sonic, and he did his best not to give him the satisfaction.

“Right...well anyways, where’s Rouge? She around here somewhere?” If Shadow wasn't in the mood to talk - which he was _not_ , judging by both the dark circles under his eyes and the glare he gave the hero, somehow moodier than normal - then Sonic would chat up his partner in crime instead. 

“Over here, hon.” Again, the blue hedgehog turned - this time to the bar, to observe a bat appear behind the bar, setting drinks and glasses along the shelves behind it. Walking over, Sonic looked over the bar, seeing multiple crates of glassware and alcoholic drinks that the bat would no doubt have to set herself, given his rival’s clear tiredness. Rouge began to place some of the glasses behind the bar.

“Need any help?” The cerulean hero tilted his head curiously at the bat. He didn’t know how he could really help, since he didn’t know where to put the items. Still, he wanted to assist his friend, who looked as though she was just as tired as her striped teammate.

“Why, such a gentleman!” the bat placed the back of one of her hands on her forehead dramatically, before removing it, smiling at the hero and returning to her work. “I’ll live, and honestly dear I don’t want you dropping these and making a mess. They’re expensive, you know.” 

Sonic rolled his eyes, in response to both the bat’s antics and comment. A smile remained on his face regardless, and he sat down at one of the stools to chat with his friend. “So,” he began, “how was the mission?” 

The bat rolled her eyes as well and shook her head. “Exhausting, and, you know, _classified_.” She smirked at the hero. It wasn’t the first time he inquired about one of their missions, and she doubted it would be the last, despite them being unable to tell him much of anything. Sometimes she was exasperated by the blue hero’s inquisitiveness, when he constantly quizzed them on classified information. Today however, he seemed satisfied by the answer, changing the conversation with ease. 

“Yeah, I get it. Also, I never thanked you guys for helping out the other day in that fight against ol’ Egghead. Tails told me you were both a big help.” He looked at her appreciatively, “Thanks for that.”

Rouge paused, before turning back to the hedgehog with a smirk, although more gentle than usual. “Well, I can’t take all the credit, as much as I want to. Omega and Shadow did most of the work.”

“Gotcha. Hey Shadow!” Sonic yelled as he turned to the hedgehog, who glared as he raised his head to acknowledge his rival. “Thanks for helping out Tails against all those robots the other day. I really appreciate it.” The striped hedgehog rolled his eyes, grumbling what Sonic assumed was a “you’re welcome” in whatever exhausted language he was speaking. Satisfied, Sonic turned back to the bat restocking the shelves, before opening his mouth, about to ask for a certain robot’s whereabouts. 

“Omega is out for repairs right now, so you’ll have to thank him later,” the bat said, in anticipation of the upcoming question. 

The hero slumped against the table, one hand resting under his chin to support his head the other drumming fingers on the table. 

“What about you blue? How have you been?” 

Sonic’s posture stiffened as he hesitated. Usually, Rouge could be a bit of a gossip, so he was a bit worried about how much he should share about recent events regarding him and his pink hedgehog friend. After a few moments of deliberation, Sonic decided to tell her regardless. He trusted her. She was his friend, after all, so he could talk to her about whatever and she wouldn’t spread it - _probably_. He sat up, a more serious look on his face replacing the disappointed one from earlier.

“Pretty good I guess. I uhh… had a ‘talk’ with Amy,” he did quotation marks with his hands.

The bat whipped around, staring at the hedgehog with a glint in her eyes. “ _Ooh_ , tell me more dear, what _exactly_ did you talk about?”

Sonic blushed lightly as he glared at his friend. “Oh shush. I just told her I needed some space, ya know? I don’t want her following me around all the time, and possibly getting hurt along the way. She took it well.”

“She took it well,” Rouge repeated, a contemplative look on her face. 

“Yeah,” Sonic looked away, scratching his cheek. “I’m pretty sure she’s over it by now, actually. Later on, she told me she was gonna probably try dating, but she seemed kinda… hesitant, I guess? She even asked me for advice, but you know, I told her you’re more suited for that sort of thing.” He looked back at the bat, seeing her shocked face. “What’s up?” the hedgehog asked curiously. 

Rouge shook her head, “Nothing dearie, just lost in thought.”

“Yeah, I was weirded out too. I mean, it is weird that she’d get over it so quickly, right? I thought she’d kinda just… keep chasing after me I guess.” Again, the hedgehog turned his head away, flattening the quills on his head with one hand as he did. He seemed mildly distressed, something the bat caught onto quickly, given her years of knowing him.

“Right.” she responded, turning back to the glasses she was setting. “Well, look on the bright side dear, you’ve finally got some freedom.” 

“Yeah.”

When Rouge looked back at the hedgehog secretly, he had a distant, confused look on his face as he stared off into space. This confirmed her suspicions; there was something about this he wasn’t telling her, something she may have to investigate…

  
“Well,” the bat began, startling the hedgehog from his inner thoughts. “The weather is lovely today. Any reason you aren’t running around like usual?”

A smile overtook the hedgehog's face.

“Well I was, but I wanted to see you guys. We hardly get to hang out, what with all your missions and junk.”

“Aww, how sweet,” the bat teased. She did, however, look genuinely touched by his words. “Although, I am a bit busy at the moment, and Shadow and I are both a bit drained right now, as you can probably tell.” 

“Oh geez, sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude, or anything.” The hero began to feel worried he had overstayed his welcome. He began to get up before Rouge held up a hand to stop him. 

“Sonic, it’s alright, honestly. I’m not too busy to talk, I just can’t do much else. You’re free to drop by whenever, and you can talk to me if anything is bothering you. You know that, right?” Her brow was furrowed as she looked at the hedgehog in front of her sympathetically. Sonic figured she wanted to help, but he didn’t know how much he was truly willing to share.

“Yeah, I know. It’s just…” he struggled to find the words. How did he even feel about all of this? “I want Amy to be happy and all, but I guess I’m just worried she’ll get hurt? Meeting random strangers can be dangerous, right?” 

_And also I had this weird dream about her and I being together, and it made me question how I feel._

Yeah, he wasn’t telling Rouge that part anytime soon. She’d tease him relentlessly, and he would never live it down. What he said _was_ still true though, he did feel weird about the girl dating, and part of it was that stranger-danger could be a real threat. It did not explain the sickening feeling he got when he thought about her enjoying her time with someone else, laughing and being finally happy, happy without _him_.

“She’s a strong girl, she can take care of herself.”

“Yeah, guess you’re right.” A gentle smile rose to the hedgehog's face, not going unnoticed by his winged friend. 

“And if she comes to me for advice, I’ll give her the best pick up lines ever.”

The hero snorted lightly at this, before giving a grateful look.

“Thanks Rouge.”

“No problem Blue.” She winked at him, picking up a brown bottle and placing it gently among some other drinks Sonic couldn’t recognize. The blue hedgehog sighed.

“Alright, I should probably leave you guys alone, let you rest after your long and secret mission.”

“Okay hon, come back any time.”

With that, Sonic rose from his seat, walking towards the door slowly. Before he left, he turned back to the bat.

“Bye Rouge!” The bat sent him a wave goodbye. He turned with a grin to Shadow, still seated in his booth. “See ya, faker.” The striped hedgehog responded by flipping off his rival, despite not seeming angry by his words. Sonic gave a thumbs up in response and then left, leaving no trace besides a faint blur of blue where he had just been.

Just a few moments later, the bat finished placing her drinks, leaping over the table and walking towards the exit.

“Off to meddle?” Shadow questioned, despite already knowing the answer.

“Oh shush, I know you were watching and listening, Mr. ‘I hear and see all’. He’s hiding something, I’m sure of it.” 

“Doesn’t mean you should intervene,” he muttered. His friend often got herself involved in this sort of drama, which he himself had no care for. He tried to get her to leave these sorts of issues alone, but she rarely listened. This didn’t mean he would cease in his efforts, however.

“Maybe not, but I’m worried about them. You saw how he was acting, it’s not like him. Besides, what do you think _she’s_ going through, if even he is so affected? I’m going to talk to her and get the other side of this story, then I’ll decide what to do.”  
  


The ebony hedgehog sighed in exasperation. Closing his eyes and pinching his forehead with a gloved hand, he responded. “Fine, I won’t stand in your way. Just...try not to make things worse for once? I don’t want to deal with whatever trouble you may end up causing those two.”

Rouge smiled at him. She knew he was really a big softie, always looking out for everyone in his own way, even though he would never admit it.

“No promises.” She winked at him before flying off to the home of one Amy Rose. she had many, many questions for the girl. 

* * *

As millions of humans and mobians roamed and went about their daily lives, few ever worried about their safety. They had their heroes to protect them, so what was there to be afraid of? While villains often showed up to attack, they were often dealt with swiftly. Such quick action led to most people feeling safe, despite the many dangers they encountered throughout the years.

This irritated the genius Ivo Robotnik, who _wanted_ to be feared, _wanted_ power, and _wanted_ to rule over all creatures on Mobius. However, because of his arch-rival and his friends, few ever worried about the villain’s plots, to his endless frustration. What was the point of trying to constantly rule if nobody would even take him seriously as a threat? Maybe he was simply going about this all wrong. Sonic was difficult enough on his own, but when he had his friends, they were nigh impossible to defeat.

Eggman pondered this problem as he sat in the middle of his current hideout. He needed a plan, a new strategy to defeat his rival once and for all. If the blue hedgehog was too much effort to defeat, even when alone, then he needed some sort of edge on the hero. He needed to start smaller, simpler even, as much as he despised the idea. Thinking on his most previous failure, he remembered the irritating fox and pink hedgehog that had leaped in to help Sonic. Without them he certainly would have- The villain snapped his fingers as he thought of a plan. 

“Oh ho ho! I’ve got it!”

If Sonic was so strong when he had his friends to rely on, then Eggman would just have to get rid of those pests first. Their destruction would no doubt have a severe impact on the hero, leaving a perfect opening to attack while he was in emotional distress. The only question was where he should start. Given that most of the heroes' allies had strong powers of their own, it may be difficult to eliminate them, even alone. He’d need to think it over, run through all scenarios, and take the path of least resistance. 

The evil genius grinned as he pondered this, his smile becoming more and more crazed by the second. 

“Soon Sonic. Soon you and the rest of this miserable planet will never underestimate me again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, Rouge is off to meddle again. Poor Shadow.
> 
> Eggman's hatching (ha) another plan, but I'm sure it's no big deal.
> 
> Edited 8/22/2020:
> 
> I edited some random stuff as well as POV, which I felt was kinda sloppy the first time.


	5. The Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic discovers something, while Rouge begins her investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an FYI I went back and edited some of the othre chapters slightly. Mostly minor stuff so POV is more consistent. Will probably continue going back to them as well, as I try to make this story the best I can. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Being alone with one’s thoughts was never, in and of itself, a harmful experience. It is often an opportunity to collect one’s ideas and calmly analyze themselves. Many find it necessary to get time to themselves, in order to truly understand who they truly are and what they feel, but Sonic was not one of these creatures.

In fact, the blue hedgehog despised the idea of simply  _ thinking  _ about most things. Instead, he was a being of action, and preferred to take matters into his own hands - or rather, gloves. Such was the reason for his dislike of his current situation, where he was alone in his own home, with only himself and his pestering thoughts. 

After his recent discussion with Team Dark, the hedgehog went off to run again. He ran and ran for hours, until his legs were sore and he had to stop.

If it was up to him though, he would never stop running. The feeling of pure freedom, of his quills in the wind, was his favorite in the world. It made him feel like he had no worries, for he didn't have to think when he was in his own world, sprinting as fast as his legs would carry. 

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and with his legs becoming slightly numb, Sonic had resigned himself to going home.

At this point, the sun had begun to lower itself towards the horizon, and Sonic thus decided it was a good time to rest. When he arrived at his home, however, he found it empty. There was no trace of Tails except for a note Sonic discovered on the kitchen table, where his brother explained he had left for the store.

It was common for the fox to do the chores for both of them, given that Sonic himself hated chores with a burning passion. Still, the hedgehog was a little disappointed at the fox’s absence, as it meant he was alone with his bothersome thoughts yet again.

Normally, this situation would call for a quick nap or early bedtime, but for whatever reason, sleep was evading the blue hedgehog as he laid on his couch. His mind drifted to topics at the speed of himself, leaving the hero frustrated at his lack of ability to simply relax and feel the embrace of sleep. 

The hero’s mind continued to land on his pink friend specifically, who he had been trying his best not to think about in recent days. For whatever reason though, his efforts were in vain, as he still pondered what the girl was up to currently. 

For years, his friend had looked up to him, always given him attention, and had given the general impression that she would love him forever. It had gone on so long, as much a part of his life as running, and now it had just… stopped. She hadn’t shown up at his home to talk, nor had she texted him in the past weeks - aside from when  _ he  _ had initiated a conversation. 

_ That  _ conversation, which had led the blue hedgehog’s dream of his friend. In turn, it led to him not being able to remove the girl from his thoughts. He blamed his strange dream on said conversation. Dating was never something he thought about at length. At least, not before her talking to him about it. 

Now though, the thought dwelled in his mind, and he wasn’t sure why.

Aside from the dream and dating in general, Sonic’s thoughts circled around the pink hedgehog herself. He had begun to miss her company in the past two weeks. She was one of his closest friends, always visiting or messaging him, always making him feel appreciated.

Others would have believed that the blue hero would feel  _ relieved  _ having Amy off of his back. People who didn't understand their situation often thought of the girl as annoying and clingy, but Sonic rarely ever saw it that way. What he saw instead was someone who was passionate like he was, just in a different way. 

While she sometimes may have taken things too far, he could admire the determination she often possessed. She had grown stronger over the years, strove to do what she thought was right, and had gained so much speed that now she was almost as fast as he was.  _ Almost _ .

He had thought he was doing the right thing by telling her about his need for space, but perhaps he could have explained it better. Perhaps she thought he was irritated at her, and that was why he hadn't seen her, because she was avoiding him.

He hoped that wasn’t the case.

It wasn’t like that, and it wasn't like what others thought, either. He honestly cared about Amy, and wanted her to be happy, and  _ safe _ . She often put herself on the line for him, even threw herself into danger to help because of her blinding affection. It had happened too many times, and he couldn’t stand the idea of someone being hurt because of him, no matter what. Despite her clear strength, he hated the thought that she could be injured because of his lack of action. 

Sure, maybe he  _ had  _ sort of hoped that, after he told her, she would stop being so blindly in love with him, and find better prospects with someone who could make her really and truly happy. Of course he wanted Amy to be happy,  _ just like he did for all of his friends. _ That was what he thought, at least. 

Now though, he felt guilty, guilty for feeling  _ conflicted  _ on his friend dating.  _ Why? _ Why did he feel so conflicted? If he cared so much for her happiness, shouldn’t he be glad she was moving on, and could finally feel loved and be loved, as she deserved? 

A frown grew upon the hedgehog’s face. Why had his mind chosen now, of all times, to have a strange dream about his friend? Did he suddenly have  _ feelings  _ for her, after so many years, and that was why his mind conjured such images? Was it even possible, that something like that could have been present for long, growing every time she grew as he did, until only now coming to the surface? Perhaps the dream meant nothing, and he was simply overanalyzing, and trying to explain the randomness that occurred in one’s mind as they slept. 

Yeah, that was probably it.

Decisive answers evaded him though, and he sighed. Feelings or not, he wanted Amy to be happy. If he did have feelings for her - which he  _ didn’t -  _ they were mild and he would simply ignore them. She was finally moving on, and he wanted to respect that decision as best he could. These thoughts were his final ones before the door to his house opened, revealing only grocery bags and the yellow tails of his best friend. 

Sonic was extremely grateful for the distraction. 

“Hey Tails! Need some help?” 

Not waiting for a response, the hedgehog leaped from the couch, grabbing the bags from his friends and placing them onto the kitchen counter, leaving a mildly dazed fox behind him. Said fox quickly recovered from his shock. Rolling his eyes at his brother’s strange antics, he joined the hedgehog putting away food. 

“Chili  _ and  _ hot dogs? Aww, Tails you’re the best brother a hedgehog could ask for!” 

Sonic picked up his brother and twirled him around in excitement, making the kit stumble once he was placed back down.

“Geez Sonic, they’re just chili dogs.” The fox shook his head, before his eyes narrowed slightly.

“You know, I actually wanted to talk to you about something, Sonic.” He analyzed his brother, his demeanor indicating a seriousness the hedgehog rarely saw in him. Sonic merely tilted his head in response.

“I’ve been noticing you acting kinda strange lately. Specifically, you've been really jumpy and on edge, more so than usual.” 

_ Have I? I suppose I have been a bit antsy lately, but was it that obvious? Did anyone else notice? _

Sonic looked confused as Tails observed at the hero, staring into his eyes directly, mild concern etched across his face. “Are you alright?”

Sonic couldn’t help it. He panicked. His eyes darted around, his eyes locked onto one of the bags on the table and he grabbed it, beginning to place the items inside the cabinets where they belonged. 

While facing away, he responded quickly, “Yup, I’m great as always!”

“You’re lying,” the fox responded just as fast, disappointment in his tone. 

“Look Sonic, if you don’t want to talk about it that's fine, but I’m worried about you. You’ve been acting weird ever since…” he trailed off, realization dawning on his face, “ever since you had that talk with Amy.” 

_ Welp, correct as usual Tails, _ he thought, defeated. 

He never was a good liar, and Tails had gotten very good at calling out his brother when he noticed something off. His posture slumped as he turned back to the fox, and resigned himself to what he was sure would be a very awkward conversation.

“Guess the Chao’s out of the bag, huh?” he joked with a grin. Tails simply crossed his arms, giving the hedgehog an expression indicating he wouldn’t be able to change the subject so easily.

“Like I said, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I’m just worried about you. You aren’t usually like this, and it’s ... concerning” 

Sonic’s smile dropped, audibly sighing as he realized he shouldn’t avoid the topic. Tails was his brother. He could trust him. The fox was old enough to understand this sort of thing - hell, he probably understood it even better than Sonic himself did. 

“Yeah, it’s because of everything with Ames. Ever since we talked she’s been kinda… avoiding me, I think.” Sonic’s eyes furrowed as he looked to the floor, finding it extremely interesting at the moment. 

He decided to be honest with Tails, as he was with Rouge, and explained what was going on. He vented how he was feeling, his fears, everything. _ Everything except his dream, that is. _

“I just don’t know how to feel right now. I mean, why aren’t I just happy for her? Why does it make me feel” his face scrunched up as he paused. “weird, to think about Amy dating someone?”

“Well…” Tails began, trailing off. Sonic looked to the fox quizzically. “Now, hear me out Sonic, but it kinda sounds to me that you might be...maybe jealous?”

Sonic faltered slightly. He wasn’t  _ jealous _ ; he couldn’t be. He’d never thought of his pink friend in a romantic light, so what was there to even be jealous about?

She was one of his best friends, and that was all, so how could he be jealous? 

Why else though, would he feel so strange, so  _ wrong _ , when thinking of her being with another person? Did he really want to be with her instead, as Tails was more or less suggesting, or was something else going on? 

“I dunno Tails. I mean, I don’t even like Amy, at least, not in  _ that way _ . What would I have to be jealous about?” The fox gave him a deadpan look, clearly not believing his friend for a second. 

“C’mon Sonic, think about it. You said you don’t want Amy to be with anyone, that sounds like textbook jealousy. Now, I have an idea as to why that is. I believe you might be repressing how you feel for her.” The fox nodded to himself.

The blue hedgehog’s face felt hot, as his friend calmly stated this, with such certainty. He scoffed, turning away slightly to hide his blush. “Oh please, you’re being ridiculous Tails.”

“Am I?” His friend's face grew serious, staring him down with intent. “You haven’t been yourself lately, and my best guess is it's because you have feelings for her.”

Well, Sonic couldn’t argue with that, not really.

He had been thinking of the girl far more often than usual, and he did hold great respect and admiration for her. If he  _ did  _ have feelings for her, it would also explain his dream, which Sonic had been struggling to rid from his memory for days now. However, why then, had he basically told Amy to back off, and give him space, if he actually had feelings for her?

“But them, why did I tell her to stop chasing me, if I had feelings for her all this time. Huh, Tails?” The hedgehog asked, crossing his arms and raising a brow, confident that he had refuted the fox’s argument. There was no way Tails could explain away  _ that _ . 

Tails rolled his eyes, shaking his head in response.

“Like  _ you’ve  _ told me before, you don’t want her getting hurt. Also, it is possible you’ve felt this way for a while, and only are realizing it now. Maybe things have changed between you two, or maybe they haven't. I don’t know. This is just the best theory I could come up with.” Tails uncrossed his arms and shrugged, while Sonic pondered his words.

_ Did  _ he have feelings for Amy? If so, how long had he had them? He mulled it over, cupping his chin in his hand as he thought back to the many interactions he’d shared with the girl. Searching his past for any possibilities of him liking her back, thinking about how she made him actually feel, deep down.

The pieces all started to fit at that moment. All the times he’d let the girl hug him longer, despite acting upset. Every time he ran from her, not even using his full speed, watching her slowly get faster with time, now rivaling many of his fastest friends. Just like him, Amy had grown stronger, and was now a force to be reckoned with. 

He admired that about her. 

He admired a lot about her, now that he stopped and thought about it. Her cheery personality, her kindhearted spirit, and her smile, which always reassured him that everything was fine. She  _ was  _ very pretty as well, he would admit, but for Sonic that was a very minor detail. All parts of the girl were important to him. Attractiveness or no, she was Amy, and that was what he liked about her. The hedgehog felt his face grow even warmer at the thought. 

He really did like her, didn’t he? 

Tails was right, as usual; it didn’t really matter when he started feeling this way about Amy, but he definitely felt something for the girl, and it went far beyond normal feelings of friendship. 

At that moment, Sonic came to two realizations.

He had a crush on Amy. He had a crush on one of his best friends. That was the first realization that he had, and on it’s own it was fine. The second one, however, was that he’d realized it too late. 

Amy had told him she was going to start dating, and that could only mean one thing: She had probably already moved on. He’d had a chance to be with the girl, but now it was gone, and he would have to accept it. He would have to watch her grow happy with someone else, while he merely observed, wishing he’d taken the opportunity while it still had existed.

“ _ Fuuuuck _ ,” he groaned, to the raised eyebrows of his younger brother. “You’re right, I do have a crush, don’t I?”

“Well yeah, but what’s wrong?” Tails asked, after recovering from his friend’s unusual word choice. Sonic couldn’t blame the kit. He was hardly ever so upset; it wasn’t his style. 

“Isn’t this a good thing? You guys can patch things up and get together, live happily ever after and all that stuff. Where’s the problem?”

“The problem,” Sonic began, before sighing, “is that she’s already moving on, remember?” He looked down, defeated, as he realized that he had missed his chance. 

Amy had already moved on from him. She had decided she was going to try to pursue other people, and as her friend, he should let her be happy. He couldn’t stand in the way of her happiness now, not after all he put her through. 

“No offense Sonic, but that sounds really stupid.” Sonic looked up at his friend, disbelief written across his face. 

Tails continued, undeterred by his friend’s expression, “She’s liked you for a long time dude. Like, a  _ long  _ long time. I don’t think she’s stopping anytime soon.” His expression was light as he spoke with reassurance towards the blue hedgehog.

Relief flooded Sonic’s features. Tails was right,  _ again _ . He still had a chance. He was  _ Sonic the Hedgehog _ , and he never gave up - no matter what. There was still a way to fix this, still a way to make everyone happy. 

He would talk to Amy, and they would sort this out like adults. He wouldn’t run from his problems anymore, he would face them head-on, and conquer his fears as he always had, with a smile and determination. 

Dating would be new for the hedgehog, but he was certain that it was something he would be willing to learn. He and Amy would figure it out together, after all. It wasn’t like he would have to go at it alone. The idea filled him with both anxiety and an excitement he had never felt before. 

As he stared at the setting sun on the horizon, however, he realized it would have to wait until tomorrow. 

“Thanks Tails,” Sonic looked at his brother, a genuinely happy look on his face. Tails beamed back. He seemed happy that the blue hedgehog was back to normal. Sonic wanted to tease the kit slightly, so he hugged him and ruffled his bangs, getting revenge for the awkward conversation the fox put him through. Tails only resisted a little, letting his brother have his fun. After a few torturous seconds for the fox, Sonic pulled away. Walking back towards their shared kitchen table, he pulled out the aforementioned ingredients. 

“Alright! Seriously though, I am excited for those chili dogs, so let’s get started!” 

Tails pushed himself away from his brother, and with a smile, replied, “Yeah, let’s.”

* * *

Meanwhile, in Station Square, a certain agent was knocking on the door of one Amy Rose. The agent had been knocking on the door for several minutes, waiting for the girl to arrive. 

Said agent was not one for patience, and had begun contemplating sneaking into the apartment. They were concerned for their friend, so surely it would be understandable if they were to let themselves in through the window, right? There wouldn’t be anything wrong with it, as long as they didn’t get caught.

These thoughts were derailed by a voice coming from inside the building. 

“One moment!”

The bat inspected their hand as they waited. Hearing the door open, they looked up to observe their friend.

Call it a girl’s intuition, but Rouge could sense that she was right. Something  _ was  _ off about the way the girl in front of her looked. Her smile didn’t seem to truly meet her eyes, a dull undertone in them that was most unlike the pink hedgehog. Before she could contemplate it further, her friend’s eyes lit up as they recognized the bat in front of them. 

“Rouge! It’s so good to see you!” The pink mobian pulled their friend into one of their trademark hugs. 

“Oof,” Rouge grunted at the surprise embrace, tensing up in surprise. She really should have seen it coming, given how well she knew the girl. Her gaze softened on the hedgehog as she squeezed back.

“Hello darling. How’s my favorite pink hedgehog doing this evening, hmm?”

“Aren’t I the only pink hedgehog you know?” Amy replied with a smile as she pulled away, crossing her arms and feigning offense. 

“Yet you’re still my favorite.” The bat winked at the girl in response.

Amy rolled her eyes at her friend’s jokes, still maintaining the smile from earlier. Suddenly, she shivered, and quickly waved her friend in. 

“You should come inside! I don’t want you getting cold.”

It was beginning to get a little chilly, so the bat obliged her friend and entered the apartment. This action sealed the pink hedgehog’s fate. They were going to have a nice long chat, and Rouge would finally know what was going on. 

Knowing the two hedgehogs, she would probably have to talk some sense into them as well.

_ Oh well, what are friends for?  _ The bat pondered, a smirk growing across her face before beginning her interrogation. 

“So Amy dear, let’s have a  _ talk _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine Sonic would have difficulty coming to terms with having feelings for anyone. He's not a romantic at heart, so he'd avoid thinking about mushy stuff.
> 
> Time for some interrogating from Rouge. Poor Amy.


End file.
